Sartaj Singh
Helmed by Sam Irvin, ‘Nightmare in the Desert’ centers on a couple’s relaxing hike through an arid national park, which turns into a nightmare as they are set upon by a jealous stalker. Shae Olson is forced to return to her home and tie up loose ends when her father passes away. She is accompanied by her boyfriend, Chris, who becomes a source of comfort in the difficult time. The couple decides to hike through the Joshua Tree National Park and take a break from the stressful work.
On the way, they meet Shae’s childhood friend, Burke Elder, who is immediately smitten by her. As the two make their way through the park, Chris is looking for an opportunity to pop the question, while Burke stalks them, looking for a way to separate them no matter the cost. Given the specific nature of the Lifetime thriller’s narrative and setting, questions come to mind regarding its relationship with real-life events.
Nightmare in the Desert is Likely Inspired by the Henry Stange Murder Case
‘Nightmare in the Desert’ is a fictional film inspired by true events. Its story is written by Richard Pierce, who tentatively titled it ‘Tracked in Joshua Tree.’ Pierce, who grew up in the desert himself, likely found inspiration for the thriller from the murder of Henry Stange at the hands of former Marine Curtis Lee Krueger. Krueger murdered Stange for sleeping with his girlfriend and buried his body with her help in the Joshua Tree National Park.
Curtis Lee Krueger was a Marine in his late 20s when he became suspicious of his girlfriend, Ashlie Stapp, cheating on him. Krueger was a communications officer based out of Twentynine Palms with Combat Logistics Battalion 7. He and Stapp shared a trailer home in Twentynine Palms, but Stapp had an arrangement which he wasn’t aware of. She would visit Henry Stange, a divorcee in his 50’s who would provide her with drugs in exchange for sexual favors. Krueger was suspicious of her absences, and on May 24, 2018, he tracked her phone to her mother’s house. When he saw that she wasn’t there, he went straight to Stange’s home. He discovered Stange and Stapp there together, and attacked the older man.
After the violent assault, Stange was left with stab wounds to the chest and neck, and blunt force trauma that had collapsed his skull. He died shortly after the attack, prompting Krueger and Stapp to make plans to dispose of his body. They bought a shovel and traveled to the Joshua Tree National Park. Finding what they thought was a remote location, they buried him in a shallow grave. On June 2, 2018, his body was found half buried on the side of the road by hikers. An investigation quickly established Krueger as the killer with Stapp acting as an accomplice.
Curtis Lee Krueger Was Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison
Curtis Lee Krueger tried to paint the crime as self-defense, claiming that Stange had been corrupting Stapp with drugs and raping her. He claimed that when he went to confront Stange, he was attacked and feared for his life. The savior and self-defense narrative didn’t stick with the jury or the judge, who found that Krueger had acted out of rage because his girlfriend slept with another man. During his hearing, he expressed regret for having killed an American citizen and a father, saying that he was devastated at having destroyed a family.
Krueger was sentenced to 3 years in prison for assault and 15 years to life for the murder charge. “Mr. Krueger intentionally took the life of another individual with malice aforethought in a brutal fashion,” stated Judge Kelly Hansen after the sentencing. “It wasn’t because he was under the mistaken impression that his girlfriend was the victim of rape. It was because he was enraged that his girlfriend was intimately involved with another man.”
Stapp pleaded guilty to aiding Krueger in avoiding arrest and was sentenced to 309 days in custody and three years probation, which angered Stange’s family, who considered the punishment too light. Lifetime’s ‘Nightmare in the Desert’ draws several parallels with the case, including its setting of Joshua Tree National Park, the theme of jealousy turning deadly, and the desert terrain bearing witness to a chilling crime.
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